Traveling back to 1977

Is Chapter 374 pressuring people to get married?
Master Lu stood up, supporting himself on the table, but instead of going into the room, he slowly walked to the cabinet, opened the door, and took out a bottle of aged medicinal wine under Chen Fan's strange gaze.

He closed the cabinet door, then slowly walked back, placed the bare wine bottle on the table, pointed at it, and laughed, "Look, 20-year-old medicinal wine, have you tried it?!"

The medicinal wine had turned black and was only half full, indicating that Master Lu usually drank it as well.

To make medicinal wine, you must use strong liquor with an alcohol content of 50 degrees or higher, and the herbs used are also very particular, taking into account the soaking time. Some herbs are not suitable for long-term soaking and should be consumed within a few months at most, otherwise they will spoil and cause problems if consumed.

However, some medicines, such as ginseng, tiger bone, and deer antler, do not have any age restrictions and are truly great medicines.

As long as the bottle is sealed properly and stored in a dark place, it can last for 30 to 50 years, let alone 20 years; in fact, its medicinal effects will be stronger.

Master Lu was knowledgeable about medicine, and this bottle of wine was clearly unusual.

Chen Fan stared blankly at the wine bottle, then looked at him and asked, "You saved this?"

"That's not."

Master Lu sat down, leaning on the table, and laughed heartily. "I didn't save much. A couple of days ago, I saw that the weather was getting cooler at night, so I got a bottle. 'Spring nourishment, summer elimination, autumn supplementation, winter storage,' right? The best time to supplement your body is in the autumn."

This medicinal wine is also very nourishing, and paired with the pickles you brought me… Ah, speaking of these pickles, they're crisp, refreshing, and perfectly seasoned. I've never eaten such delicious side dishes in my life. But I just can't recreate the taste of yours; you'll have to make me some more.”

Chen Fan's eye twitched slightly.

I'm eyeing your family's treasures, but you're only interested in my little skill? Can't you have any ambition?
He then said, "That's easy, I'll bring you a jar tomorrow."

Master Lu clicked his tongue and said, "I have all the materials here, why don't we make it here?"

Chen Fan was speechless. "You don't want the side dishes I make, you want the chili sauce too, right?"

Master Lu laughed and said, "Who told you to make such an extraordinary dish? Making more chili sauce is a good idea too."

Chen Fan nodded helplessly, "Now in this village, only you can let me do this kind of work. Secretary Yang and the others only ask me to cook when they have important guests, and I don't even have to prepare the food. Even the pickles at my own house are made by me pointing out to Xiao Jiang and the others. I'm too lazy to lift a finger."

Master Lu immediately realized, "So, that side dish can taste even better?"

Chen Fan pursed his lips. "Your focus is indeed quite unique."

After making a few jokes, he stood up, rolled up his sleeves, glanced at the medicinal wine on the table, and said with a smile, "I'll go pick some chili peppers from your garden now, but there's something I need to ask you."

Master Lu crossed his legs, pointed at the medicinal wine, and asked smugly, "You want to ask me where I got this from?"

Chen Fan's eyes lit up immediately. "Your room is only so big. I've been here so many times, but I've never found a place where you hid things. There are no signs of digging holes on the ground, and it's even more impossible to hide them in the cracks in the walls. Your room is just made of bamboo poles; there are no bricks at all. Could it be that you hid them outside?"

He straightened his back, put his hand on his chin, and struck a Conan pose. "Could it be that he dug a cellar in the vegetable garden?"

It's actually quite possible. Vegetable gardens need to be turned over frequently, and they're not very noticeable when you dig around. Could it really be there?

Master Lu grinned and chuckled. He would occasionally take out something new for Chen Fan. He knew he couldn't hide it from the kid, so he never thought of hiding it from him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken out so many things.

I never expected him to ask me directly, which is interesting. It means this kid is completely open and honest. He may be eyeing my things on the surface, but he doesn't really care. Instead, he's interested in my ability to hide things.

Otherwise, if I had been on guard, he would have had no chance of finding me.

Master Lu picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and said with a smile, "Kid, how about we make a bet?"

Chen Fan's eyes immediately lit up. "How do we bet?"

Master Lu crossed his legs and looked at him with a big smile. "You said you were guessing the vegetable patch, right? Then go find it yourself. Anyway, whatever you find, whether it's inside or outside the house, is yours. How about it?!"

Chen Fan clapped his hands and said, feigning embarrassment, "Look, look, it's not easy for you to save up these things, how could I possibly take them?"

Master Lu's expression changed, and he looked at him with a half-smile. "Don't be so polite. I'm an old man with one foot in the grave. I have no relatives or friends. You're barely considered half an apprentice. I can't take these things with me. If they're gone one day, they're gone just like that. I might as well use them to play a game with you, as a pastime."

Chen Fan blinked, bent down and whispered, "How about we have an apprenticeship ceremony? You'll be my master from now on, and I'll take care of you in your old age?"

Master Lu was slightly taken aback, and gave Chen Fan a deep look, seemingly quite interested.

But in the blink of an eye, he sighed inwardly, waved his hand and said, "Forget about becoming my apprentice. The bond between us is enough. Going too far is not good."

He turned to look out the door, his mood rather low, and said softly, "The world is getting better day by day, but the weather is unpredictable. Who knows when things will start to turn turbulent again? It's good as it is now..."

She turned to look at Chen Fan, her smile full of relief, "When no one's around, come over whenever you have time, have a meal with me and chat for a while, that's enough. In front of outsiders, you should still be careful not to involve me in your actions or words, that's better for both of us."

Chen Fan pursed his lips and nodded slightly, then grinned and looked at Master Lu, asking, "Master Lu, you're so good at hiding things, you must have another apprentice besides me, right? Let me tell you, if you give your treasure to someone else, don't blame me for adding extra salt to the dish!"

Master Lu was so angry that he laughed, "Get out!"

Chen Fan quickly walked out, "Okay."

After finishing, he didn't forget to turn around and say, "I'm going to pick some chili peppers first. I'll come to your neighborhood to look for treasure when I have time. This bet isn't just for today, is it?"

Master Lu rolled his eyes. "It's effective forever."

"okay."

Chen Fan rubbed his hands together and ran happily to the backyard.

After he walked away, Master Lu couldn't help but shake his head and laugh uncontrollably.

Chen Fan picked a basket from under the eaves and ran off to the vegetable garden at the back.

This vegetable garden is not large, only about 50 square meters, probably the smallest in Lujiawan. The bamboo fence surrounding it is mainly to prevent chickens, ducks and geese from going in and eating the vegetables.

Chen Fan opened the bamboo gate to the vegetable garden and went inside. Almost half of the garden was planted with chili peppers, which was the norm for many commune members' vegetable gardens.

After all, chili peppers are the main ingredient in making pickles, and they can also be used as a vegetable, so their consumption is naturally the highest.

In addition, broad beans and soybeans can also be used to make sauce.

Broad beans mature in late spring and early summer, while soybeans mature a little later. They can be harvested after the double harvest season, and sometimes the harvest time overlaps with the double harvest season. At that time, manpower has to be allocated to harvest soybeans, which is more tiring.

Fortunately, soybean cultivation in Lujiawan is not extensive, so the burden is not too heavy.

There were no broad beans or soybeans in the garden, so Chen Fan focused on picking chili peppers.

Before the basket was full of chili peppers, Chen Fan suddenly stopped and stared blankly at a small patch of soil.

A few seconds later, he looked up at Master Lu's thatched hut and muttered to himself, "This old man, if he wants to give something, he should just give it to us directly. He's even playing games. He's old in years but young at heart."

He then looked around and found a piece of withered bamboo stick not far away, so he picked it up and started digging at the patch of soil that was not much different from the surrounding soil.

As a result, the bamboo stick went in less than 20 centimeters before it hit something hard.

This is a vegetable garden, it's been turned over countless times, how could there be anything hard here?
Chen Fan's face was full of smiles. Master Lu was afraid he wouldn't be able to find him!
As they continued digging, sure enough, after digging through only the surface layer of soil, they found a pottery jar lying on its side.

The jar is about 30 centimeters in diameter and about the same height. If you don't look at the bottom and the mouth of the jar, it looks like a small sphere.

Chen Fan immediately perked up and began digging around the pottery jar, soon unearthing it.

Unwrapping the oil paper tightly covering the mouth of the jar and pulling out the camphor wood stopper, one finds several small items tightly wrapped in oil paper inside the jar.

The moisture-proofing work is quite good.

Chen Fan chuckled, but didn't reveal the answer immediately.

He first filled the hole back in, then continued picking chilies. Only after filling his basket did he carry the jar outside. Back in the front yard, before even entering, Chen Fan grinned and laughed, "Fourth Master, look at this!"

Master Lu looked at him, then at the jar in his hand, and was immediately shocked. He jumped up and exclaimed, "Oh my, you actually found it?"

Chen Fan's eyelids twitched as he watched.

You can act all you want, but could you please take it easy? You're over 70 and have a leg injury. What if you strain your back? I don't want to be carrying a bedpan.

He placed the chili basket outside the door, carried the earthenware jar inside, and handed it to Fourth Master who ran over. "What's wrong? You're reluctant to part with it? I haven't even seen what good stuff is inside yet, but judging from your expression, you should be able to make a fortune."

Master Lu ran over, but instead of taking it, he said with a pained expression, "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond. Once you find it, it's yours."

He paused for a moment, then his expression suddenly changed. He put his hands behind his back and walked back, saying, "Out of sight, out of mind."

Chen Fan suppressed a laugh as he walked to the table and sat down. He placed the earthenware jar on the ground and slowly began to take things out of it.

He first took out a rectangular package, and while unwrapping the oil paper wrapping, he said, "Don't feel bad about it. Good things should be taken out and aired in the sun. If they are kept buried in the ground, they will become antiques in a few decades. They will only be good to look at and will be useless. They won't really be of any interest."

Let me see what this thing is...

After unwrapping the oil paper package, inside was a small brocade box. Opening the box, Chen Fan was taken aback and turned to look at Master Lu. "A pair of pocket watches?"

The box was split in two, with a pocket watch inlaid on each side. Although countless years had passed, the watch cases still shimmered with a certain luster, and judging from the color, they were made of 14K gold, which was very bright and beautiful.

I took out a watch and looked at it. The case back and the watch case only had a few simple floral patterns outlined in a few strokes, and it looked unremarkable.

With a gentle press, a crisp clinking sound was heard, and the watch case immediately sprang up, a very pleasant sound.

The inside of the case is engraved with a Cupid shooting arrow pattern, and the dial is surrounded by a ring of auspicious patterns. The sapphire crystal is crystal clear, and the hour and minute markers on the dial are marked with diamonds of different sizes. There is also a small stopwatch below, which makes it look simple and elegant.

There is also a gold bracelet, which, when paired with the watch, creates an elegant and sophisticated look when the case is closed, and a refined and luxurious one when the case is open.

Looking at the other watch, it was almost identical, except it was a bit smaller, and Cupid inside the case was holding a harp. Those were the only differences.

Chen Fan glanced at the brand logo one last time. Oh, it's a Patek Philippe and Cartier collaboration. Not bad.

(36-year co-branded pocket watch)
Then, the two watches were put back into the box, ready to continue unpacking.

Master Lu finally turned his head and looked at the two pocket watches in the box, saying, "Oh, so this is it."

He let out a long sigh, turned around and sat up straight, and said softly, "I bought this in Shanghai back then. It was a pair when I bought it, and I planned to give it to my nephew as a wedding gift. Unfortunately, they left in a hurry and didn't have time to give it to him."

He turned to me with a smile and said, "It's fate that you were able to dig up this jar. You're also at the age where you can get married, so these two pocket watches are for you. Keep one for yourself, and find an owner for the other one as soon as possible."

Chen Fan's face fell; was he pressuring him to get married?

I'm only 16 and people are already pressuring me to get married?

Honestly, was it intentional?
Chen Fan took a deep breath and said irritably, "What do you mean 'given to me'? I won this. You have no idea, I dug for ages and almost collapsed from exhaustion."

Muttering to himself, he pulled the next package out of the jar.

As soon as he opened the oil paper package, Master Lu stopped pretending, glanced at it and said, "Oh, this is also a wedding gift I planned to give to my nephew. It's two gold pens that I ordered from the Zhonghua Fountain Pen Factory. It's a pity that I haven't been able to give them away. Take one and quickly find an owner for the other one."

(Zhonghua Gold Pen, the Crown of Domestic Products)
Chen Fan opened it with a dark expression, and sure enough, there were two black fountain pens inside.

He slammed the lid shut, turned around, and said, "Fourth Master, are the things in the jar all in pairs?"

Master Lu gasped, tilting his head back as if deep in thought.

A few seconds later, he frowned and said, "It's been too long, I can't remember. You'd better open it and see for yourself."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. He put a pair of pocket watches and a pair of pens aside and took out the remaining three packages inside.

When you open them all up, there are three more small brocade boxes.

As expected, one was a ring box containing a pair of substantial diamond rings; another was a pair of dragon and phoenix jade pendants; and finally, it wasn't one for the man and one for the woman.

However, they were a pair of imperial green jadeite bracelets.

The conclusion is clear: if it weren't for the pressure to get married, Chen Fan would have dared to eat all of this!

Seeing Chen Fan's depressed expression, Fourth Master Lu coughed and said seriously, "When the war broke out, the Lu family split up and went their separate ways. Because they left in a hurry, they forgot to give these things to my nephew. When they put them away, they naturally gathered them together. That's understandable, isn't it?"

Chen Fan nodded slowly, put the five boxes into his backpack one by one, stuffed all the oil paper into the earthenware jar, and placed the jar against the wall for Master Lu to use next time.

He then turned to his head and asked, "Excuse me, how old was your nephew back then?"

Master Lu clenched his right fist and slammed it into his left palm, saying bitterly, "It makes me angry just thinking about it. My two older brothers had five daughters in a row, and finally, after much difficulty, they had a son. But when he was only four or five years old, he had to wander around with them. Can you believe it?"

Chen Fan blinked. "So you bought your nephew a wedding gift when he was four years old?"

Master Lu looked at him and smiled, "That's not it."

Then he held up three fingers, "3 years old."

Chen Fan took a deep breath and forced a smile.

He finally understood why he was being pressured to get married.

In comparison, I'm almost 17, it's time to urge them to start!
Chen Fan felt a bit tired, so he decisively went to check on the braised rabbit meat simmering on the stove. He then used dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns to heat oil and make a sauce. He picked out the rabbit head, poured the freshly made chili oil over it, and made a spicy rabbit head.

Then they started eating.

It has to be said, Master Lu's medicinal wine is really potent.

After just one small sip, one could feel the blood and energy surging throughout their body, especially for someone like Chen Fan who practices martial arts, the reaction was even more pronounced.

So he forgot to eat the rabbit meat and sipped his wine in small sips. After each sip, he would follow the modified version of the Great Toad Breathing Technique taught by Lin Yuanxiang, and use the modified Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound Technique to stimulate his internal organs... He used several secret techniques in combination or in rotation as he drank his wine.

Before long, most of the rabbit was in Lu Siye's mouth, and Chen Fan had also drunk the whole bottle of medicinal wine.

Looking at the empty wine bottle, Master Lu felt a much greater pity than when he looked at the earthenware jar.

At first, when he saw that Chen Fan's whole body was red, he wanted to say a few words to remind him, but soon the redness gradually faded and Chen Fan returned to normal, so he didn't say anything.

He silently comforted himself, "It's okay, there's still wine, no rush."

When Chen Fan picked up the empty bottle, he came to his senses and turned the bottle upside down, shaking it vigorously. There were only two drops!
He immediately smiled at Master Lu and asked, "Master Lu, is there any more?"

Master Lu immediately shook his head, "That's all, that's all. It's the last bottle, once it's finished, it's gone."

Chen Fan's eyes were full of doubt. "Really?"

Master Lu's eyes widened as he pointed at his backpack and said, "I'm not stingy with those things, so why would I be stingy with a little wine?!"

He took a couple of deep breaths and then said earnestly, “Young people should know how to be moderate. I just had a small cup, less than an ounce. You’ve had at least six or seven ounces. This liquor is very strong. You can’t drink anymore.”

Chen Fan's eyes lit up immediately. "So there's more?"

Upon hearing this, Master Lu stood up angrily and shooed them away, saying, "Go away, go away! I already said there's nothing. Finish your food and leave now. Don't bother me."

(End of this chapter)